Recycling

Most all recyclable material can be dropped off at Ruapehu Transfer Stations for no cost. On some items where there is a cost of disposal there may be a small charge to cover transport of handling.

Costs for refuse disposal at Transfer Stations can found on the Fees and Charges page.

Transfer Stations and District Landfill

Council operates a district Landfill and recycling centre in Taumarunui along with Transfer Stations in National Park, Ohura, Owhango, Ongarue and Ohakune (Waimarino).

The locations and opening hours for these facilities can be found by following this link.

If you have special refuse or recycling needs or need assistance with rubbish disposal or recycling please email Anne-Marie Westcott or contact her via Council - 07 895 8188.

What can I recycle at Transfer Stations?

• Glass Bottles/Jars - except for some types as listed below
• Metal Can/Tins - Steel and Aluminum
• Plastic Containers/Bottles displaying recycle symbols 1, 2 and 5
• Newspapers
• Other Paper/Glossies - Brown paper, magazines, books, junk mail and telephone directories
• Cardboard - Corrugated, boxes including pizza boxes and egg cartons

What can't I recycle or put in my Blue Bin?

The following items are unable to be recycled and will therefore incur a cost to dispose of as general rubbish at the Transfer Station:

Plastics types 3, 4, 6 and 7

These cannot be recycled - these go into your rubbish bin. Look for the numbered recycling triangle on the plastics container. If the container does not have a recycling triangle on it put it in your rubbish.

The best thing is to try and avoid buying plastic types 3, 4, 6 and 7 altogether or look for plastic free options. If you cannot avoid it try and reuse them.

Not all glass can be recycled

• Broken Glass
• Drinking Glasses
• Light Bulbs
• Mirrors
• Pyrex or Arcroc
• Window Glass

Certain types of cartons or finished paper

• Juice Cartons
• Painted or Waxed Paper

Other non-recyclable materials

• Ceramics
• Food Scraps (these should be composted. Council offers a kerbside food scrap collection service which is composted. This is collected alongside blue bin recycling and rubbish collection.)
• Nappies
• Rope
• Paint (check with the Reuse Shop in Taumarunui which takes some paints)

Soft Plastics

All soft plastic needs to be removed from trays and placed into the rubbish.

Soft plastics such as plastic bags/wrappers, frozen food bags, grocery bags, chip packets, bread bags, glad wrap and bubble wrap can be recycled using the Soft Plastic Recycling system. The closest in-store locations are Woolworths (Countdown) 180 Sloane Street, Te Awamutu and 16 Kokomea Village Drive, Taupō.

NZ Post is also working with Soft Plastic Recycling and Future Post to make it easier for you to recycle your soft plastics and turn them into fence posts. NZ Post is providing a specific courier bag (recycled of course!) that you can purchase and fill, and then either take to your local post shop or book a courier for pickup, allowing you to send your soft plastics away to be recycled by a specialist manufacturer who turns them into such things as fence posts. We encourage people to make use of this service. Soft Plastic Recycle Bags can be purchased online from NZ Post, The Warehouse, and New World Taumarunui.

To find out more, click here

Expanded Polystyrene

Expanded polystyrene (EPS), is the stuff that looks like white boards made of little beads and is often used to protect fragile goods and appliances. If you have purchased a product packaged with moulded polystyrene, ask the retailer if it has a take-back scheme.

Mitre 10 has partnered with EXPOL to recycle EPS polystyrene as it’s difficult to dispose of responsibly. EXPOL then repurposes the material into new products including EXPOL Tuff Pods, Quick Drain, Under Floor, Therma Slab Sheet, StyroDrain and Earth Green Beans Bean Bag Fill, which is made of 100% recycled polystyrene. EXPOL diverts over 400 tonnes of polystyrene from landfill each year. The nearest Polystyrene Recycling Cube can be found at Mitre10's Hamilton stores 41 Ruakura Road, Hamilton East and Maahanga Drive, Hamilton (only packaging received from a Mitre10 purchase).

The Waimarino Recycling Transfer Station & Secondhand Store on Old Station Road, Ohakune, cannot recycle expanded polystyrene boxes, however, it can 'rehome' the secondhand boxes commonly used for shipping food products from online retailers if they are clean and dry.